This invention relates to a support structure for a car safety seat and particularly a support structure for a stroller that has adjustable supporting positions for supporting car safety seats of different sizes.
It is convenient to carry a small child outdoors in a stroller, because it saves the trouble of carrying or holding the child physically. However, when taking the child in the car for a long distance trip, the stroller becomes cumbersome to carry in the car. A car safety seat for a child is more desirable for such an occasion. There are a lot of car safety seats and strollers in the prior art. Examples can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,822,064; 4,768,795; 4,921,261; and 5,499,831.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,795 discloses a multi-purpose stroller with a detachable frame, in which the seat portion may be detached from the stroller frame for use as a safety seat in the car. However, it requires a special design to support the finction of the stroller and car safety seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,064 discloses a combination child vehicle seat and stroller which couples a frame and wheels with a car safety seat to form a stroller. Such a design increases the weight of the safety seat, which is difficult to move in the car when in use. When used as the stroller, it will be soiled by dust and dirt which will be carried into the car when it is converted into a car seat again.This will make the interior of the car untidy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,261 proposes an infant conversion stroller which may be converted to a child safety seat. However, the conversion work is not easy to perform and is not practical, especially in inclement weather.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,831 discloses a folding stroller for a child""s car seat which is collapsible and includes a front wheel frame section, a rear wheel frame section and a handle frame section. The front wheel frame and rear wheel frame respectively engage a support bar at a selected location for holding a child""s car safety seat when used as the stroller. The child""s car safety seat may be removed from the stroller and used in the car. The stroller may be folded for use later. However, the support bars have a fixed distance therebetween and cannot support a car safety seat of different sizes. For consumers who already have child""s car safety seats of different sizes, they need to buy a whole new set including another car safety seat. This is neither sensible nor economical.
All of the known prior art have their share of problems and drawbacks. There is still room for improvement.
In view of aforesaid disadvantages, it is therefore an object of this invention to provide a support structure for a car safety seat that enables a stroller to support different sizes of car safety seats.
The support structure according to this invention is adapted for a stroller that has a front frame, a rear frame, a handle grip, a support frame, wheels and joints. The front and rear frames respectively have one end pivotally engaged with a wheel. The front frame has another end engaged with a coupling member located in the joint. The handle grip is pivotally engaged with the coupling member. The rear frame also has another end pivotally engaged with another coupling member located in another joint. The support frame is pivotally engaged with the front and rear frame at selected locations. When the stroller is extended, the two coupling members cannot pivotally turn relatively against each other because of a pin harnessed by a slide member. The slide member may be moved, which drives the pin to a position such that the two coupling members can pivotally turn against each other. The stroller thereby becomes foldable for storing.
The support structure located on the stroller includes a first support member located on the handle grip and a second support member located on the support frame. The first and second support members are used to support the weight of the car safety seat. The first support member is stationary, but the second support member has two ends engaged respectively with a first and second rotary disks which are turnable about the same axis. The axis maintains a constant relative distance with the first support member. Hence, turning the second support member may change the relative distance between the first and second support members, to thereby support a car safety seat of different sizes.
Further scope of the applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.